Sorry about the gap since my last entry. I think my Internet posting ability
got worn out by posting so many entries in December. (Hey, that's my story
and I'm sticking to it.)

I started to post an entry on the 11th but got distracted by life about two paragraphs into and never got back. And then I began working on this entry last Sunday, selected seven photographs, resized one of them... and then went off grocery shopping and never got back to the rest of the pictures.

As you might guess from seeing Nancy with Milo, the pictures are from a
trip to New York City.

Jill and Eli and Jeremy and Nancy and I went down to visit Adam and Leah
and our grandsons Sam and Milo a week ago yesterday.

Sam is fascinated by trains and bridges and has lots of fun playing with his electric (battery-powered) train set, complete with its own suspension bridge. He knows the names of all of the Manhattan bridges and where they go and I think he has walked across all of them that have pedestrian access on various family outings. (You may recall our stroll across the Brooklyn bridge a few months ago.) He also has an amazing knowledge of the various subway lines and transit buses that service his neighborhood and can chatter on about taking the F train or the 6 train, etc.

Milo is such a good-natured and happy baby/

Adam and Leah are great walkers and enjoy walking all around New York. I mention this because
there is a Bavarian restaurant that Jill likes in what I
tend to think of as Adam and Leah's neighborhood. Actually, it is a mile away, but they cover so much territory on
foot that a mile seems as if it is only a short stroll. It seems as if we used to
have lunch there fairly frequently, but for a variety of reasons (including inclement weather)
we have been unable to eat there for the past two or three
years (much to Jill's dismay). Back in October (when we walked the Brooklyn
Bridge) we thought we would stop there for dinner on our way to Grand Central
Station from Adam and Leah's apartment... but we had failed to realize
that it was Octoberfest weekend and they had an estimated two hour wait
for a table, so once again Jill missed out on being able to eat there.

So on this latest visit, Adam suggested that we might be able to go there at mid-afternoon.
He phoned them and they said they were filled with their lunch crowd but things should slow down
between lunch and dinner. We took a walk there at mid-afternoon and, sure enough, we only had to
wait about ten minutes for a table. Here is a picture of a smiling Jill with Reiberdatschi -- crispy potato pancakes served with applesauce and a salad.

The beer served there (as you might expect) is absolutely delicious (as
is the food). We all enjoyed our mid-afternoon lunch.

Our waitress was captivated by Sam and Milo... and soon two more waitresses were stopping by our table to talk to Sam and to admire Milo (who spent much of the time napping in his stroller).

One of the waitresses brought out a bucket of chalk she said she kept for
times when she needed to amuse her three year old daughter when she would
be in the restaurant and encouraged Sam to draw on the stone floor. (She
noted that the chalk marks would come off easily when they mopped the floor.)

When another waitress came by with a paper airplane she had made to amuse
Sam, Jeremy told Adam that he would like to borrow Sam and Milo sometime
so he could pick up chicks because it was amazing how quickly little kids
attracted females.

Here's Jeremy and Sam on the floor with chalk art.

And we got back home in time to watch the second half of the Patriots game.
And their next game is coming up this afternoon. Go New England!